When does a traveler in an airplane break his fast?
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Fatwa number ( 2254 )
Q: Two residents of Dammam took off in an airplane from Dhahran airport among its passengers ten minutes before sunset in the month of Ramadan, heading to Jazan . The airplane rose to about twenty-nine thousand feet above the ground. After thirty-five minutes had passed, while the airplane was flying over the sky of Riyadh , the people of Riyadh broke their fasts, but the airplane passengers were still seeing the sun, and perhaps more than a quarter of an hour would pass while they were still seeing it. Is it permissible for the airplane passengers and those like them to break their fast? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you.
A: The principle is that every person, in his abstention during fasting, his breaking of the fast, and his prayer times, follows the ruling of the land he is on or the airspace he is traveling in. So, if the sun sets on him at Dhahran airport, for example, he breaks his fast or prays Maghrib, and then the airplane takes off with him heading west and he sees the sun still remaining, he is not required to continue abstaining, nor to repeat the Maghrib prayer; because the time for breaking the fast or prayer for him follows the ruling of the land he is on. If the airplane takes off with him minutes before sunset and the day continues with him, it is not permissible for him to break his fast or to pray Maghrib until the sun sets in the airspace he is traveling in, even if he passes over the sky of a country whose people have broken their fasts and prayed Maghrib while he is in its sky seeing the sun, as mentioned in the question regarding the condition of the two persons who passed over the sky of Riyadh while fasting at the time of breaking the fast, and the airplane passengers were still seeing the sun. This is what is required by the evidence of the Shari'ah. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:187] And He said: [Al-Isra 17:78] And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 1954 , but if they land in a place where the sun has set
they have the ruling of the people of that place regarding fasting and prayer for the duration of their stay there. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Two residents of Dammam took off in an airplane from Dhahran airport among its passengers ten minutes before sunset in the month of Ramadan, heading to Jazan . The airplane rose to about twenty-nine thousand feet above the ground. After thirty-five minutes had passed, while the airplane was flying over the sky of Riyadh , the people of Riyadh broke their fasts, but the airplane passengers were still seeing the sun, and perhaps more than a quarter of an hour would pass while they were still seeing it. Is it permissible for the airplane passengers and those like them to break their fast? Please issue a ruling, may Allah reward you.
A: The principle is that every person, in his abstention during fasting, his breaking of the fast, and his prayer times, follows the ruling of the land he is on or the airspace he is traveling in. So, if the sun sets on him at Dhahran airport, for example, he breaks his fast or prays Maghrib, and then the airplane takes off with him heading west and he sees the sun still remaining, he is not required to continue abstaining, nor to repeat the Maghrib prayer; because the time for breaking the fast or prayer for him follows the ruling of the land he is on. If the airplane takes off with him minutes before sunset and the day continues with him, it is not permissible for him to break his fast or to pray Maghrib until the sun sets in the airspace he is traveling in, even if he passes over the sky of a country whose people have broken their fasts and prayed Maghrib while he is in its sky seeing the sun, as mentioned in the question regarding the condition of the two persons who passed over the sky of Riyadh while fasting at the time of breaking the fast, and the airplane passengers were still seeing the sun. This is what is required by the evidence of the Shari'ah. Allah the Exalted said:
And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset.
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِEstablish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur'an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.
أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًاWhen night falls from this side and the day vanishes from this side and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast.
إذا أقبل الليل من ها هنا، وأدبر النهار من ها هنا، وغربت الشمس؛ فقد أفطر الصائمthey have the ruling of the people of that place regarding fasting and prayer for the duration of their stay there. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.